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5 Dec 2013

Designing ReGen Nitrogen app, between functionality and handiness

Kim

Every week, we
release a story directly told by those who are at the very heart of the
creation of ReGen Nitrogen. This week, Kim tells us about the work she
has done so far to make our application look good and friendly to use.Kim took the long way round to get to
design – through Victoria University and two degrees, she finally landed at
Massey’s Wellington campus and is now completing a Graduate Diploma in Design.
Always keen to get stuck into things and do something useful, she is excited to
be a part of the ReGen team as a Summer of Tech intern, assisting us in
creating great tools for farmers. “Kia Ora tatou,My name is Kim, and I am the design and UI (User Interface) summer
intern here at ReGen. Currently I am working on the design for the new ReGen:
Nitrogen app – making sure that it is accessible, practical and, of course, good
looking. We here at ReGen want to make sure that this is a tool that you will
love to use, and it is part of my job to make it a pleasant all-round
experience. No pressure.At the moment we are in the early stages of the design process.
Based on our interview with Greg Maughan, we have determined what will be the
core features in the initial version of the Nitrogen app, as well as what may
be included in future versions. The goal for this app is to provide you with a
great decision-making tool for when you use Nitrogen. By utilising the data we
receive from your farm, as well as external sources, we are setting out to make
the process more efficient and sustainable, both for you and the environment.

Part of what we love to do here at ReGen is collaborate with others,
and we all know how much better our decisions are when we have all the
important information at hand. That’s why we need you, the future users of this
app, to chip in and tell us what you think. This could be by telling us how you
make decisions around Nitrogen use, or what kind of features you’d love to see
in a Nitrogen app. Maybe you’ve used other agricultural apps before, or any app
really – tell us what you loved and what you hated! Buttons too small, a function
not working, a layout too confusing? Or maybe you know of an app that is a
pleasure to use – we want to know it all. We’ll also be
seeking some volunteers to do initial user testing when the new app is ready,
so be sure to look out for notifications about that.Read the the post about our visit to Greg’s farm and see what he has to say about his
Nitrogen use, or read through the important research that Sonia is doing here
at ReGen”.